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Newt Gingrich wasn't just the former Speaker of the House here in the United States, he was the one-time college history professor of co-host Jamie Chambers. Journey back to the 1940s as Bambi learns all about Newt's humble origins (largely thanks to his mother's roller rink romances). Find out how the little guy terrorized his grandmother with a snake collection, tried to start a zoo at age eleven, and snuck around behind his mother's back to watch (gasp!) nature documentaries. Laugh as you learn how his oversized head affected his football career. And be amazed that not long before graduating high school Newt was caught hooking up with his geometry teacher—whom he eventually married!

In this episode we encourage listeners to give to the Wildlife Conservation Society. They support safe habitats for wildlife around the globe. Learn more about their mission and find out how you can help: https://www.wcs.org

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Apologies for the lower audio quality of this recording. This episode was thrown together in a hurry and recorded on cheap microphones in Bambi’s car! Things should be back to normal for next time.

Thanks to Broadway a lot of people know about Aaron Burr—third Vice President of the United States and first member of the executive branch to shoot a former Secretary of the Treasury. But fewer people know that he was arrested and tried for treason after attempting to form a secret army to steal western territory for himself. President Thomas Jefferson was personally determined to see his former Veep rot in prison. To quote the musical version of the Marquis de Lafayette: “You are the worst, Burr!” The podcasting siblings Jamie and Bambi Chambers rip into the later life and highly ironic death of Aaron Burr (Sir).

It's another baffling dive into 1980s biographies written for children! The podcasting siblings Bambi and Jamie Chambers learn all about RFK Jr.'s ultimate nemesis (i.e. a pioneer of germ theory and vaccine science) when they read The Value of Believing In Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur. This time our hero is absent for half the book while we learn all about a stick-wielding German kid named Joey who enjoys tormenting dogs and is gifted with rabies as punishment, before becoming the first person ever cured from the deadly disease. Instead of a single science fact, we instead learn that vaccines are magic and contain miniaturized British soldiers equipped with darkvision and bayonets. And if you want to also achieve success you must clearly wander around in public muttering "I believe I can!" after getting blasted on chemical fumes.

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Jamie and Bambi are at it again! Anthony Comstock persecuted New York smut dealers and tavern owners until he found his target of choice—women who advocate for freedom, education, and equality. When ruining things for people in New York was not enough he pushed the Comstock Act into federal law—which is how the authors of Project 2025 plan to ban pornography and access to information about abortion. He persecuted trailblazing women like Victoria Woodhull and Margaret Sanger fueled by his weird obsessions and religious guilt.

In this episode we encourage you to consider a donation to Planned Parenthood, which provides education and support services for sexual and gender related health. Learn all the ways they assist men, women and families at www.plannedparenthood.org.

It's our first "Short Rant," where we'll relate current events to history! These are videos posted on our YouTube and TIkTok accounts and the audio will be available here within a day.

President Trump announced "Liberation Day" on April 2, 2025 with broad and sweeping tariffs that are causing stock market panic and layoffs even in the earliest days. His case for high tariffs are good policy are based on his admiration for the 25th President, William McKinley. But Trump is either ignorant of or lying about the truth about American tariff policies in the late 19th century. If history is any predictor of future events, bad things are in store both for the economy and to Republicans' future electoral chances.

Dive back into 1980s children's biographies as podcasting siblings Bambi and Jamie Chambers explore The Value of Determination: The Story of Helen Keller. Bambi reads us the tale of an adorable baby named Helen who becomes a "nasty" little girl after being stricken blind and deaf by a fever. (Hey, it's their word not ours!) But with the help of a trio of imaginary leprechauns and a small assist from Anne Sullivan our heroine is able to overcome her disabilities and learn to communicate and somehow become a vaudeville performer. It's all about DETERMINATION in this kids' book that completely ignores Keller's political activism as a pacifist, feminist, and open socialist.

Support the show and stay tuned with us on social media and discover more on our website: http://www.chainsawhistory.com

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The Chambers siblings return from summer break to take a buzzsaw to the memory of Anthony Comstock. He was a self-appointed moral crusader and postal inspector from the 19th century whose legacy lingers in modern politics—including references in Project 2025 to ban mailing abortion medications, contraception, and pornography.

Learn how one boy's mommy issues are inflicted on an entire nation as Comstock's Connecticut Puritan upbringing sends him on a mission to hunt mad dogs, go full Batman on an illegal saloon, and makes him the least popular soldier in the Civil War. His obsessive, self-critical journaling offers a window into his world of shame and personal struggles with one-handed temptation. (Ahem.)

It's another awful person telling everyone else how to live! Join Jamie and Bambi while they wonder aloud why Comstock's laws and moralizing mission should have any relevance in the 21st century.

In this episode we encourage you to consider a donation to Planned Parenthood, which provides education and support services for sexual and gender related health. Learn all the ways they assist men, women and families at www.plannedparenthood.org.

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Bambi concludes her deep dive into Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, widow of Alexander Hamilton—the only American so far to have been shot dead by the sitting Vice President of the United States. Using the Hamilton musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda as a touchstone, we explore Eliza's happiest years, heart-wrenching tragedies, lifelong grudges, and many charitable works before her death at 96 years old. Most notably, we delve into her tireless efforts to house and educate orphans in New York City.

Why did Eliza hate James Monroe for the rest of her life? Did she burn her husband's letters out of anger, or was it part of a cover-up? Did the Reynolds Affair actually happen, or was it an elaborate lie? Why did Benedict Arnold travel around Europe with a portrait of Alexander Hamilton? These burning questions and more will be answered as we ask, "Who tells your story?" when it comes to Eliza Hamilton.